I've never been a die-hard TV brand fan one way or another, instead flitting between Samsung and LG over the years to get the best bang for my buck. But now I'm going to spend more than usual and jump across to Sony.
As a TV reviewer, anyone I know who is about to buy a TV asks my advice first. This had made me realise that even though I haven't stretched to a Sony over the years from my personal purse, I always recommend the brand to anyone who can afford to buy in.
Now, the latest Sony Bravia 8 II has been unleashed as one of the best OLED TVs out there – and I'm seriously tempted to snap one up.
Sony plays nice
The latest Bravia 8 II is still a bit more pricey than my equivalent upgrade, which would be the LG C5. That's been a jump I've not been able to justify in the past.
Now, when I take into account the brightness of the new QD-OLED panel, the rich blacks and dynamic contrast, plus that impressive onboard Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound, it starts to make sense.
I remember going to a screening of Blade Runner 2049 when it was new, shown on a Sony OLED, and being blown away by the quality when on 4K Blu-ray.
Now, as I consider the sources I have with my PlayStation 5, it makes sense to take advantage of that for the best possible end result on screen. More on that below.
Sony is more than just a TV brand – it's been an established player in the camera sensor and lens markets for decades. As such, it's got some serious smarts when it comes to image processing and understanding. So when I see that Sony now records in Bravia, for Bravia TVs, I'm seriously sold on what that means.
This is what Dolby Vision 2 is working towards, and indeed what Dolby Vision IQ offers to some extent now. This idea is that TV content is recorded with TVs in mind so that when it's decoded and displayed on your screen, it's as close to what the director intended as possible.
Sony excels at this, not only with support for Dolby Vision high dynamic range support, but also with its Sony Pictures Core streaming service – which offers the highest bitrate of any streaming setup – as a great source to access super-quality content.
How much is the Sony Bravia 8 II?
The price of this jump to team Sony? It's going to be about £2,000 ($2,999 / AU$4,199) for the 55-inch model, at time of publishing. That represents a good jump up from the nearest LG C5.
Tempted as I am, however, I'm also keeping my ear to the ground regarding Dolby Vision 2's progress into the market – as that could be the technology to wait on.
What I am confident in, however, is that Sony's mastery is only improving – and that a Sony screen is in my future. It looks, to me, like the best way to get the most high-quality content and view it in the most authentic and immersive way.
